Editor's Note

The Charge

Happiness is an art. Screwing up is a science.

The Case

What happens when you take a painfully predictable plot and combine it with
strikingly real dialogue and solid performances? In this case, the answer is
Sparkle, a movie that is more enjoyable than it has any right to be.

Sam Sparks (Shaun Evans, Being Julia) is a young man from Liverpool
desperately wanting to seek his fortune in the Big City (as we're in England,
the part of Big City is played by London). An opportunity presents itself when
Vince (Bob Hoskins) has to put his father into a nursing home, leaving him with
a vacant London flat. Shaun jumps at the chance, but to his dismay/horror, his
mother Jill (Lesley Manville, Vera Drake),
an aspiring lounge singer, decides to move with him. Vince is delighted at this
development, having long harbored a crush on Jill.

Once in London, Sam finds himself in a lousy job, but his dimples and
engaging manner catches the eye of Sheila (Stockard Channing, The West Wing), a PR executive who finds
a place for Sam in her office as well as her bedroom. Sam finds himself quite
enjoying life, until he encounters Kate (Amanda Ryan, Shameless), a free-spirited young girl
who is everything he ever wanted. Alas, impediments abound for Twue Wuv: Not
only is Sam still seeing Sheila, but Kate has a secret or two of her own that
can best be described as "awkward." As all of that plays out, Vince
searches for the courage to admit his feelings for Jill, while Jill longs for
her big break.

Even though you pretty much have the plot worked out around the 20-minute
mark, this is a charming, almost beguiling movie. A lot of the credit goes to
writing/directing team of Tom Hunsinger and Neil Hunter, who maintain a brisk
pace while at the same time giving the actors room to maneuver. While the movie
does perhaps rely on a few too many Dickensian coincidences, it's gratifying
that none of the major plot points depend on a character's inexplicable
stupidity. However, it's the performances that really make the movie, uh,
sparkle. Shaun Evans has an disarming, effortless charm about him, kind of like
Hugh Grant back when Hugh Grant wasn't trying so hard to be Hugh Grant. Evans
also has great chemistry with both Stockard Channing (still smoking hot, by the
way) and Amanda Ryan. Lesley Manville manages to make Jill endearing without
descending into a quirky-mother-of-the-damned stereotype as Sam's mother, and
Bob Hoskins has an unexpectedly touching turn as the gentle Vince. Even the
supporting roles are strong; Anthony Head (Buffy the Vampire Slayer) steals a few
scenes as Kate's gay uncle. About the only criticism you can level at the
performances is that Channing's British accent is a wee bit dodgy; however, they
finesse that nicely by mentioning that she spent part of her childhood in the
United States.

The title is a bit nondescript. In early drafts, Sam was an electrician,
which in England is called a "Spark." At some point in the development
process, he stopped being an electrician, so the changed his name to Sparks, and
made "Sparkle" his mom's stage name.

We reviewed a screener disc, so your technical mileage may vary, but overall
video and audio are strong. The surround track in particular is strong, making
good use of the incidental music. Extras are exceedingly slight, with a brief
(under 5 minutes) making-of featurette, an even shorter amalgam of cast
interviews, and a theatrical trailer. Hunsinger and Hunter are a pair of
up-and-coming filmmakers, and a rarity in that they share both writing and
directing duties, so a commentary track could have been a valuable addition.

The Verdict

Sparkle's performances and dialogue focus on real emotions rather than
easy jokes. That in itself makes it a refreshing change of pace. It's a low-key
affair without a lot of fireworks, but that's one of the reasons it works. Not
guilty.